Safety appliance for railways



Sept. 3, 1929. l .1. E. SMITH SAFETY APPLIANGE FOR RAILWAYS Filed Aug.16, 1928 #270g/wey,

Patented Sept. 3, 1929.

UNITED sra'rss JAMES E. SMITH, OF SOUTH PORTLAND, MAINE.

SAFETY APPLIANCT. FR RAILVVAYS.

Application iled August 16, 1928. Serial.` No. 300,097.

The demand in recent years 'or cars of greater carrying capacity thanwere formerly in use, with the consequent necessity for locomotives ofincreased weight, speed and power, has compelled those in charge oftransportation matters to practically rebuild their roads to keep pacewith modern tendencies.

Roadbeds are now more heavily ballasted and rails are rolled of greatlyincreased proportions but in certain respects these augmentations havefailed to fully meet the demands and provide against contingencies inrailway traffic.

Rail-road constructors plan, so far as is possible, to lay out theirroad-beds on straight lines but it is obviously impossible to avoid moreor less curved trackage in their systems.

These curves in the track present a problem, and my invention, whichdeals with safety appliances for rail-road tracks, has as its generalobject the providing of means to solve this problem.

It is generally known that on a curve, the

' outer rail takes practically the entire thrust of the rolling stockpassing` over it, and a specific object of my present invention is tosupply a device, the function of which is to brace this thrust-takingrail and prevent its spreading to such an extent as to de-rail thetrain.

Briefly, )I provide for this purpose a railsupporting plate, anchoringit to the railroad tie and interpose between the plate and the undersideof the head of the rail a brace member, securing the lattter in a socketor mortise of considerable depth so as to prevent movement thereof inany direction eX- 40 cept vertically.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawing which,with the numerals of reference marked thereon form a part of thisspecification.

In the drawing,-

Fig. l is a perspective view of my railway appliance in operativeposition;

Fig. 2 is the same, except that it is viewed from the'opposite side ofthe rail;

F ig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the saine, the section being takentransversely of the rail;

VFig. 4 is a perspective of the brace alone, and

Fig. 5 diagrammatically shows a curved rail-road track with theappliance installed on each tie.

Similarparts are identified by like reference characters in all views ofthe drawing.

Referring to the drawing, l represents a rail-road tie having thereintransverse grooves 2 into which t the downwardly turned ends 3 of therail-supporting plate 4.

On the outer end portion o this plate is a projection 5 in which is madea mortise 6, preferably square or rectangular in shape.

lt is obvious that this projection might be made on the under side otthe plate, or partly above and partly below the same; in any event,however, its depth is comparatively great, relative to the thickness ofthe plate.

Fitting closely this mort-isc is the tenon portion 7 of the brace member7, the length of the tenen being practically coextensive with the depthof the mortise. Shoulders 7 limit the downward movement of the tenori inthe mortise.

The object in making this mortise of relatively deep proportions is tobetter stabilize the brace, as upon this depends its ability towithstand a certain portion of the thrust of the rail against its freeend.

Extending upwardly from the tenon portion of the brace, the latter isinclined toward the rail, under the head of which it closely abuts.

While it is of some advantage to maintain a close contact of the end ofthe brace with the rail head 8, I do not depend wholly on this to holdthe brace in place, for, obviously, it is impossible to either raise thebrace or turn it in either direction after the rail is laid, as thetenen and mortise preclude oscillatory movement and the rail headprevents vertical displacement of the brace after once being placed inoperative position.

Under certain conditions where the rail is heaved by frost or underminedby freshets, the relative relation of the rail and brace is but slightlychanged provided the former remains secured on the holding plate.

Another advantage in this construction is that in the lengthwiseexpansion or contraction of the rail, due to temperature changes, thebrace, not being an absolute iiXture on the rail, is not materiallyadected by the longitudinal movement of the latter and is less likely tobe disarranged than if positively secured thereto.

l provide no abutments or shoulders on the holding plate against whichthe rail might thrust, preferring to place dependence on the spikes 9operable through holes 10 in the plate, to secure the rail and plate tothe tie.

Any appreciable side thrust on the rail outwardly of the track isimmediately taken by the brace; any tendency of the rail to springinwardly is opposed by the spikes on the inner side of the rail flange.Eventually, however, the thrust is communicated to and taken by thedownwardly turned ends of the holding plate deeply embedded in the tie.

So that they may be made more accur ately, the grooves 2 are preferablyscarfed in the ties previously to the latter being transported to thepoint where they are to be used on the line.

The spike holes lO in the plate t and the location of the mortise 6 aredefinitely spaced and with the flanges 3 made to eXactly fill thegrooves 2 in the tie it is obvious that the equipping of the rails withthese devices is simply a matt-er of assembling the parts and drivingthe spikes-an advantage which is revealed in the low cost ofinstallation.

In laying a track which is to be supplied with my device the ties arefirst approximately placed in position on the road-bed and therail-supporting plates located thereon. The braces are then assembled intheir respective mortises and the rail moved along the plate intocontact with their upper ends. The inside spikes are first driven so asto secure the rail firmly against the braces, after which the outerspikes are located in their proper holes and driven into the ties. Anynecessary work in connection with correcting the curve in the rail isnow performed, the ties properly tamped and the work is completed.

In railway track construction, as in most mechanical undertakings,simplicity is a feature greatly to be desired. I have incorporated in myrail brace and connecting parts those elements only which l consider tobe the most essential and have arranged them so as toco-act and functionto the best advantage.

The rail-supporting plate, for instance, is very .simply but effectivelyanchored to the tie by its depending flanges; the brace element dependswholly on its characteristic forni and the weight of the rail to hold itin operative position, as spikes have yet to be improved upon for theirparticular purpose.

So that, as a whole, my appliance has the advantage of simplicity instructural features, effectiveness in practical use and low cost inproduction and installation.

And, having thus described my invention, what I claim is:`

A rail-bracing device comprising in combination with a tie having atransverse channel cut therein, a plate, a downwardly projecting tongueon said plate adapted to engage said channel, a mortise in said plate ofrelatively greater depth than the normal thickness of said plate, abrace surmounting said plate and having a tenon adapted to engage andclosely fit said mortise and to provide the sole support for said braceon said plate, said brace inclining toward the rail and to contacttherewith only at the junction of the rail-head and web thereof.

ln testimony whereof I ax my signature.

JAMES E. SMITH.

